DATE=9/21/98
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-41421
TITLE=RUSSIA MEDIA
BYLINE=PETER HEINLEIN
DATELINE=MOSCOW
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: RUSSIA'S TWIN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CRISES HAVE DEALT
WHAT MANY VIEW AS A SEVERE BLOW TO THE FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION
IN THE COUNTRY. VOA MOSCOW CORRESPONDENT PETER HEINLEIN REPORTS
MANY INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS FACE BANKRUPTCY, AND JOURNALISTS ARE
COMPLAINING OF A RETURN TO SOVIET-STYLE CONTROLS.
TEXT: ///SFX OF "O-R-T NEWS" LEAD IN ///
RUSSIA'S "CHANNEL ONE" TELEVISION IS THE MOST WIDELY WATCHED
STATION ALL ACROSS THE FORMER SOVIET UNION. MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
TUNE IN EACH NIGHT FOR ITS PRIME TIME NEWSCAST, "VREMYA".
///SFX OF "VREMYA" -- IN FULL, AND UNDER ///
IN SOVIET TIMES, CHANNEL ONE WAS STATE-CONTROLLED, AND ON PAPER,
IT STILL IS. BUT THE STATION'S EDITORIAL POLICY HAS EFFECTIVELY
BEEN TAKEN OVER BY WEALTHY FINANCIER BORIS BEREZOVSKY, WHO PAYS
THE SALARIES OF KEY EMPLOYEES.
SINCE THE END OF THE SOVIET UNION, INDEPENDENT MEDIA HAVE
FLOURISHED. BUSINESS INTERESTS HAVE BOUGHT OR OPENED NEWSPAPERS,
TELEVISION AND RADIO STATIONS. BUT THAT FLEDGLING FREE PRESS HAS
SUFFERED A DOUBLE BLOW OVER THE PAST MONTH.
FIRST, ECONOMIC TURMOIL HAS FORCED A HUGE SLUMP IN ADVERTISING
REVENUES. ROBERT COALSON, A MEDIA OBSERVER WITH RUSSIA'S NATIONAL
PRESS INSTITUTE, SAYS MANY PRIVATELY-OWNED MEDIA ARE ALREADY IN A
STATE OF NEAR-COLLAPSE, AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION ARE DRYING UP.
///COALSON ACT///
IMMEDIATELY, WITHIN A COUPLE DAYS OF THE CRISIS, THE
VOLUME OF NON-STATE INFORMATION AVAILABLE WAS
DRAMATICALLY CUT.
///END ACT///
MR. COALSON SAYS AT THE BEST OF TIMES, PRIVATE NEWSPAPERS IN
RUSSIA HAVE HAD A DIFFICULT TIME GAINING ACCESS TO INFORMATION.
BUT MASHA GESSEN, CHIEF REPORTER FOR THE HIGHLY-REGARDED NEWS
MAGAZINE "ITOGI," SAYS THE EFFECTS OF THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN HAVE
BEEN COMPOUNDED BY THE POLICIES OF RUSSIA'S NEW GOVERNMENT.
///GESSEN ACT///
I THINK THESE CONDITIONS ARE BEST DESCRIBED AS
CONDITIONS OF BEING UNDER SIEGE. EVERYTHING WE COUNTED
ON FOR OUR EXISTENCE HAS BEEN CALLED INTO QUESTION.
///END ACT///
ANOTHER PROMINENT REPORTER, KONSTANTIN EGGERT OF THE "IZVESTIA"
NEWSPAPER, SAYS HE EXPECTS PRIME MINISTER YEVGENY PRIMAKOV'S
GOVERNMENT TO TAKE A MUCH TOUGHER LINE ON THE ISSUE OF MEDIA
FREEDOM.
///EGGERT ACT///
THE LEFT-LEANING GOVERNMENT OF MR. PRIMAKOV MAY HAVE
PECULIAR IDEAS ABOUT THE NATIONAL GOOD AND MAY TRY TO
CURB THE MEDIA AND TRY TO REIN IT IN.
///END ACT///
MANY REPORTERS, SUCH AS ITOGI MAGAZINE'S MASHA GESSEN, SAY MR.
PRIMAKOV -- A FORMER CHIEF OF INTELLIGENCE -- IS ALREADY SHOWING
SIGNS OF A RETURN TO SOVIET-STYLE CONTROLS ON INFORMATION.
///SECOND GESSEN ACT///
WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS PRIMAKOV HAS TRIED TO CLAMP DOWN ON
FREEDOM OF HIS MINISTERS TO SPEAK TO THE PRESS AND
DISCLOSE INFORMATION. AND FROM EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT
THESE PEOPLE, SO MANY OF WHOM WERE IN THE OLD CENTRAL
COMMITTEE OF THE SOVIET UNION, IS THAT THEY WERE USED TO
OPERATING IN A CLOSED WAY.
///END OPT///
AN AIDE TO MR. PRIMAKOV DENIED THERE HAD BEEN ANY CONSCIOUS
ATTEMPT TO SUPPRESS INFORMATION. HE POINTED OUT THE NEW TEAM OF
MINISTERS IS STILL BEING FORMED, AND ACCUSED SEVERAL MEDIA
OUTLETS OF TRYING TO DISCREDIT THE GOVERNMENT BY DESCRIBING IT AS
"COMMUNIST-DOMINATED."
JOURNALISTS SAY THE CHANGED ATMOSPHERE, AND RUSSIA'S ECONOMIC
DOWNTURN, HAVE DRAMATICALLY REVERSED THE TREND OF THE PAST
SEVERAL YEARS TOWARD A FREE PRESS. AND REPORTERS ARE CLEARLY
FEARFUL FOR THEIR JOBS.
WHEN ASKED FOR HER PROPER TITLE, JOURNALIST MASHA GESSEN REPLIED,
"FOR THE TIME BEING, CHIEF REPORTER FOR ITOGI". ANOTHER
REPORTER, WHO ASKED THAT HIS NAME BE WITHHELD, WAS MORE BLUNT.
HE SAID "IF YOU KNOW OF ANY STABLE MEDIA OUTLETS LOOKING FOR
HELP, PLEASE GIVE THEM MY NAME." (SIGNED)
NEB/PFH/PCF/WFR
21-Sep-98 1:26 PM EDT (1726 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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